The Energy Innovation Center Hosts Mentorship Academy Students for Hospitality Career Exploration

Continuing on the Path Forward in 2023, our hosts report from the Energy Innovation Center (EIC) to learn the ins and outs of the hospitality industry with the Mentorship Academy class. The site visit featured presentations from industry partners, a live cooking demonstration by Chef Claudy Pierre and additional career exploration. The collaboration is intended to share various hospitality opportunities with Mentorship Academy students, supporting a guiding principle of CNX’s Appalachia First Vision: preparing the upcoming workforce to embrace a new middle class, and take advantage of the opportunities a natural gas economy has to offer.

The hospitality industry crosses a wide-range of career fields, including education, aviation and the hotel industry. EIC partners shared thoughts and ideas on how to determine Mentorship Academy students’ career interests, and identify areas where their skills and passions align with opportunities available in hospitality. 

A major industry partner with CNX Resources, the Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA) welcomes increased collaboration as Mentorship Academy students explore career pathways across hospitality, aviation and regional industry opportunities. The ACAA’s Director of Corporate and Government Relations spoke with the students and Path Forward hosts at the EIC to preview what all is possible working in airport operations.

“The airport operates like a small city with a lot of opportunities that don’t require a four-year degree,” said Tyler Laughlin, Director of Corporate and Government Relations, Allegheny County Airport Authority. “We hope the students today gained knowledge of the aviation industry, its connection to hospitality and what career opportunities are available at the Airport Authority.”

Year two of the Mentorship Academy is flying by, and the students are collecting the tools to make decisions about their future, and to make a tangible, impactful, local difference in their communities!